Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Who are we that dream and what is that dream? Kutiman, Lawrence Dermer, and the perils of making music about Israel

Music about Israel is tricky thing. And I don't mean music from Israel. Israeli musicians can grab a guitar or an oud and have at it with no complications. Just do their thing. But music about Israel is fraught with all the tensions and complexities of Israel itself. If the music is written by a non-Israeli, it also comes with all the tensions and complexities of our Diaspora perceptions. Which ends up with writers like me thinking much to hard (or not hard enough) about what it all means.

Israeli mashup-phenom Kutiman recently released a brand new track called "Thru-Jerusalem." Like his previous collection of "Thru-You" videos, "Thru-Jerusalem" stitching together fragments of found sound and video into something brand new. Unlike T-Y, which featured video clips that Kutiman discovered on YouTube, T-J features video clips that Kutiman shot himself. What was found was the musicians and the moments, which Kutiman discovered walking around Jerusalem. Stitched together by Kutiman, they become a moving sonic landscape of a hopeful multi-cultural city. If you dig it, like I do, the track can be downloaded for free from SoundCloud.

Lawrence Dermer, an American BMI Award winning & Grammy nominated Songwriter and Producer (and Cantorial Soloist) released "We are Strong" back in 2008. I missed it then, but got pointed to it recently. We Are Strong has an upbeat 'We are the World" kind of 'unity through music' vibe and contemporary world-beat sound. This is an earnest, big anthem stuff. If you dig it, which I don't, you can get the track or album from CD Baby.

Of the two I find Kutiman's "Thru-Jerusalem" the more compelling effort. Partially this reflects my personal taste... I'm not a big fan of Dermer's smooth, radio-friendly anthem sound and wish he'd lose whatever effects processing he's using to obscure his voice, but I love Kutiman's sensibility. Kutiman has a great ear for the texture of sound and makes surprising sound combinations fit together beautifully.

This also reflects my read on the song narratives. Kutiman is an insider. His assemblage of Jerusalem musicians reflects both a realistic portrayal of Jerusalem (these are real Jerusalem musicians, after all) and Kutiman's optimistic vision of Jerusalem (this varied group of musicians blending together into a unified, but not homogenized) whole. From the perspective of a Diaspora Jew who's never been to Israel, it sounds about how I'd hope Jerusalem would sound if I could visit and wander around as Kutiman does. I wonder how real and how constructed that vision is. Is it a better version of reality than news reports show, or a delightful fiction?

Dermer's song on the other hand feels jingoistic. When he sings "We are strong" it's unclear who "we" are. He could mean all Israeli's, but I don't think so. Instead it feels inclusive of Jewish Israeli's with only a passing nod at non-Jewish Israeli's. Where Kutiman's videos showing real musicans of different backgrounds being themselves, explicitly acknowledging the complexity of Israel, Dermer's repetition of vague and banal slogans such as "what we believe we will become" and the constructed reality of him mugging in front of children who sing his song on cue, leaves "We are Strong" feeling strangely out of touch. This doesn't seem to be a song for Israelis, instead it seems like a song to raise spirits of Diaspora Jews? If we're strong, all Israel's problems will just go away.

So who are we that dream and what is that dream? Do we (American Jews) fall behind Dermer's sentimental utopian vision of happy children of all (Jewish?) races singing in unison? What dream do this children really share? Or do we (Israeli Jews and Muslims) accept Kutiman's vision of Israeli adults existing together peacefully in a complex shared space? (Remember that this too is a dream. The collaboration of Kutiman's musician's only happen inside Kutiman's mind and computer...they never actually meet in real life).

5 comments:

Anonymous
said...

The Joy of Making Music About Israel.We Are Strong is anthemesque by design. We wanted to create a song that would be sung by Israeli and American Jews alike. We especially wanted to create awareness among young Jewish Americans many of whom feel as though they have no connection to Israel what so ever. We wanted to make it sound pop/radio friendly so younger people would not perceive it as too ethnic sounding or the music of their grandparents. We wanted young Jewish Americans to relate and be inspired to visit Israel.

We want to instill national pride and this is not a bad thing. Please remember, just 60 or so years ago six million Diaspora Jews were murdered because they had no homeland to take them in. If this were to happen again anywhere in the world today we would be welcome in Israel, all of us. Israel is a Jewish nation and Jews come in all nationalities and colors. Jews are American, Jews are Hispanic, Jews are Russian, Ethiopian, Chinese and Iranian. Jews are white and Jews are black.

But what about non Jews? Are we so caught up in our own interests that we have become insensitive to others? I don’t think so. When we set out to create We are Strong, an American Israeli Anthem, it was the result of the inspiration we felt as Americans after visiting Israel several times. We were inspired by the many young Jews we met who were proud of their Jewishness and felt no inclination to hide it. We were moved by the fact that so many others have such a strong connection to Israel, not just Jews. Scores of Christians visit the Kotel daily, as well as the birth place of Jesus in Bethlehem (On the way there we had to switch to a bullet proof bus to protect us from Palestinian sniper fire). Israel is home to the ancestral history of Jews, Christians and Muslims. The most beautiful thing is that they are all allowed to be who they are and worship freely without fear of persecution or the destruction of their holy places. Can the other countries in the region boast this fact? No, they cannot.Nothing in the video is staged. To the contrary, we had a cameraman follow us all over the country to record the honest reactions we got from our song. Thankfully, the people in the video do not have to identify themselves according to their race or religion, but if you look closely you will notice not only Jews singing the song. In the video, for example, several Palestinian young adults are shown making a peace signs and smiling. For peace in Israel to ever be, everyone must be on board. We Are Strong is if nothing else, a song of hope. It was inspired by the thought that if we are strong in our beliefs and committed to our highest good in ourselves and each other, then peace will come. It is speaking of an inner strength and requires more than a literal, superficial interpretation of the lyric. Your comment, “Dermer's repetition of vague and banal slogans such as "what we believe we will become" is an overt and blatant error as it is the first line of the song and never repeated throughout the song. Taken alone and out of context of the second line, “what we search for we will find,” the first line is without full meaning. The point of the first two lines is that we create our own reality and will have the future we envision. Neither line is repeated. The chorus, which is in fact repeated, “We Are Strong, Israel, We know that peace will come and we’ll be one, Israel, One heart, One Voice, One Song,” is not vague it is a clear, slogan hook. The meaning is for all to become one. For peace in Israel to become a reality, by its very nature, everyone must be included, not just Jews. Peace can only be achieved by a mutual desire for unity. See Second Part of Comment Below.

In addition to Lawrence’s vocals, we recorded an Ethiopian children’s choir in Jerusalem for some of the background vocals which you must be referring to in your comment, “singing on cue.” Also, some of those processed vocals that you were not a big fan of belonged to a famous Israeli singer by the name of Shlomo Gronich, who also plays the Shofar at the opening of the song. Incidentally, he is well known in Israel for his work with young non-Jewish Arab Israeli singers.We know Israeli politics are complex. We know there are opposing view points. But, after being on the ground, we also know that Israel is an oasis in the desert, a miracle, a tiny sliver of freedom and democracy for all people, surrounded on all sides by nations that practice the very opposite.

We Are Strong in our conviction. You, me, Americans, Israelis and all people that love a free Israel and are proud of their heritage and hope for a peaceful tomorrow for our children are the “we” in “We Are Strong.” We are committed to the dream for peace in the region and are surprised you have to ask what the dream is? It is not complicated. If you believe we are all one under G-d then the dream does not require a dissection or labeling of the parties. It is a simple dream for future generations to live in harmony regardless of whether they are American, Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, Chinese or whatever. “We Are Strong” is simply a hope, a dream for peace . “We Are Strong” is one of nine songs with a common thread of peace on the CD of the same title. Click here to sample on ituneshttp://itunes.apple.com/us/album/we-are-strong/id444604693?ign-mpt=uo%3D4Shalom-

"so younger people would not perceive it as too ethnic sounding or the music of their grandparents"... Ethnic music - yuck! music of their grandparents? - oh, no! the stupid young generation needs to be fed with just the right diet:pop/radio friendly (?!)

"...Please remember, just 60 or so years ago six million Diaspora Jews were murdered because they had no homeland to take them in."...Thank you for the reminder! Almost forgot. Please remember the in a recent analysis in the Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv, Israel was designated as the the place posing the graetest danger on the greatest concentration of Jews...you know, just a reminder..."...Scores of Christians visit the Kotel daily..." to pray for the second coming and the swift conversion of the Jews, or else..."...Israel is home to the ancestral history of Jews, Christians and Muslims. The most beautiful thing is that they are all allowed to be who they are and worship freely without fear of persecution or the destruction of their holy places..." - Oh good! so the dream came true, how lovely! so, maybe there no need for this anthem afterall!"...several Palestinian young adults are shown making a peace signs and smiling..." WOW! Palestinians smiling! AND making peace signs! I am still curious to know if the Palestinian snipers were also smiling (ooops, sorry for a second, a friend of mine here says that they might have been angry. Let me play for him a nice pop/radio friendly song...here we go...ok, he now says that they were smiling. Good!)

"...The point of the first two lines is that we create our own reality ..." - You sure did create your own reality! Your very VERY own (hold on! my friend is speaking again. He says "delusion". Gotta play We Are Strong again)."... famous Israeli singer by the name of Shlomo Gronich..." Oh yeah! the good old case of Shlomo Gronich who occasionally looks back to the last time he did something meaningful (musically speaking) and realizes that 40 years have passed already and waht adds to his agony is the shameful things he did at the expense of some ethnic groups (oh no! ethnic! kids - plug your ears) such as Ethiopians etc."...It is not complicated. If you believe we are all one under G-d then the dream does not require a dissection or labeling of the parties..." I like things made simple and moronic for me. I hate comlexities and I sure know that once the capital G is introduced, everything is simple, peaceful and in perfect harmony. My friend and I are fascinated ny anonymous' posting: so many simple and radio friendly insights that we are a bit dizzy. My friend thinks that it caused some over stimulation of her G spot. Just like the Palestinians - she is smiling too (though no peace signs for her).

And ! on the other hand, the VERY other hand is Mr. Kutiman. Putting him in a same posting with Mr. "We Are Strong" reminds me of the educational books my 4 year old likes. I am talking especially about that part where they teach the kids opposites like "Good - Bad" "genuine - Fake" "creative - Dull" "Art - Propoganda"סליחה - אופיר קותיאל !!

About Teruah-JewishMusic

I'm a Conservative Jew living in a Christian farm town in Michigan, USA. For me, Jewish music used to be Adon Olam, Hava Nagila, and Fiddler on the Roof. I started getting a clue a few years ago. Jewish music is Klezmer dances, Sephardic ballads and Chassidic niggun. It's thousand year old hymns, three hundred year old Shabbat table songs and 60 year old partisan resistance songs. It's contemporary hip-hop, punk rock, electronica, jazz, and chamber music. In addition to loving its musical and spiritual qualities, Jewish music helps me connect my family with a much broader and diverse Jewish culture than is available locally. The Teruah blog helps me document my exploration and share it with others. Why the name Teruah? Teruah is a call on the shofar on Rosh Hashanna.